One Year Later. It’s still Dignity before Bread.

NAAP national statement on Anniversary of Mohammad Bouazizi’s self-immolation which triggered revolutions across the Arab wold.

Proud of NAAP, which is one of the few (if not only) National Arab-American organizations which from DAY 1, has supported the uprisings across the Arab world and the pursuit of “dignity, equality & self-determination.”

“Dignity before bread. Mohammad’s first concern was his dignity. Dignity before bread” – Mannoubia Bouazizi, the mother of Mohammad Bouazizi, TIME Magazine

One year ago, on Saturday December 17, a young Tunisian named Mohammad Bouazizi set himself aflame in an act of protest against the corruption and humiliation of living in an authoritative state. His self-immolation became the catalyst for a revolt that started in a small town and continues to spread throughout the world, inspiring millions to revolt for dignity, equality & self-determination.

This Arab ‘Awakening’ has both inspired and focused us. NAAP has always stood for the ‘empowerment’ & ‘advancement’ of our people and now is no different – especially now.

Over the past year now, we have put the principles of freedom, human rights, democracy, equality and dignity AHEAD of any individual differences and have organized our networks to support the democratic aspirations of our people.

Together, we have launched DAWN – Democracy in the Arab World Now, to inform and connect people. NAAP chapters have taken part in vigils, sit-ins, protests, educational lectures – we have connected countless members (both here and abroad) with the media, and we, while a humble effort, are doing our part to not sit on the sidelines during this inspiring, yet uncertain time.

We do recognize this isn’t always the most popular thing to do; “selective freedom”, however, whether for political access and interest, or for comfort and convenience, is inconsistent with our vision, mission and aspirations.

We believe we can all play a role, large or small, in amplifying the calls for freedom from Tunisia and Libya to Egypt, Palestine to Syria, Bahrain to Yemen and beyond. The inspiration from our mother countries has truly driven us to look to a future that was only a year ago, unimaginable.

One year later, we are grateful to Mohammad Bouazizi for his self-sacrifice, and recognize, that as we move forward, the pursuit of ‘Dignity’ for all our people will help us achieve our vision of a prosperous and influential community.

NAAP is a non-partisan, volunteer based organization dedicated to the development of a prosperous and influential Arab-American community connected through our national network.

Our mission is to connect, organize and empower the Arab-American community by channeling the interests and passions of our members through social, cultural, professional, political and service initiatives.